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    Cedar Falls
    Cedar Falls
    Cedar Falls
    Ebook141 pages42 minutes

    Cedar Falls

    By Cedar Falls Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    In 1952, Cedar Falls, Iowa, celebrated the centennial of its founding with parades, contests, food, and fun. The city had grown from a village with a stump-filled Main Street into a shining example of post-World War II America. The city's diversified economy provided opportunity to thousands through large employers such as the Viking Pump Company, Clay Equipment, and Iowa State Teachers College. Thanks to the foresight of earlier residents, the city had its own hospital and utility company, which allowed for a comforting self-sufficiency. Known over the years as "the Garden City of Iowa," "the City Beautiful," and "the Smiling City," by the middle of the 20th century Cedar Falls had fulfilled the promise foreseen by its earliest founders and looked forward to its next 100 years.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJun 15, 2015
    ISBN9781439651865
    Cedar Falls
    Author

    Cedar Falls Historical Society

    Julie Huffman-klinkowitz is the collections manager, Karen Smith is the executive director, and Cynthia Sweet is the former collections manager of the Cedar Falls Historical Society. Using images selected from the collection of the Cedar Falls Historical Society or donated for use by generous local photographers, they have woven a fascinating narrative that illustrates the history of modern Cedar Falls from bobby socks to blues bands.

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      Book preview

      Cedar Falls - Cedar Falls Historical Society

      Station.

      INTRODUCTION

      Cedar Falls celebrated its centennial in July 1952 with great fanfare. Local businesses and organizations created elaborate floats for commemorative parades, community members entered their themed essays and grew out their beards in neighborly competitions, and residents gathered in venues around town to hear the municipal band, watch Danish folk dancing, and crown a Centennial Queen. Cedar Falls had much to celebrate after World War II. Its downtown Main Street and College Hill districts were lined with thriving small businesses. Large employers like Viking Pump Company, Clay Equipment Company, and Wagner Manufacturing formed the backbone of a robust economy. Returning veterans and other students were enrolling in the Iowa State Teachers College in record numbers.

      The population of Cedar Falls increased rapidly from 14,334 in 1950 to 21,195 in 1960, and the city limits began to expand. Residential developments were constructed to the west and southeast of the city, and new shopping centers were established to accommodate residents closer to their homes, including the Black Hawk Village Shopping Center in 1960, the enclosed College Square Mall in 1969, and Thunder Ridge Court in 1978. The growing number of families generated a need for more public schools, and the school district embarked on a number of construction projects. In quick order, they constructed a new high school in 1953, Peet Junior High in 1959, Holmes Junior High in 1965, and Hansen Elementary in 1969. Several of these buildings reflected contemporary modern design, and some embraced new educational theories—with open classrooms for team teaching.

      Individuals and families began to move around in different ways as the city limits expanded. Passenger rail service was discontinued in Cedar Falls in the 1950s, and the last electric trolley car made its final run between Cedar Falls and Waterloo in August 1957. Families embraced the automobile, and Cedar Falls and the State of Iowa invested in its road and highway infrastructure. Motels, full-service gas stations, and fast-food restaurants developed along First Street and University Avenue, and car dealerships multiplied along University Avenue and Washington Street.

      This outward expansion and increased mobility began to have a major impact on Cedar Falls’ historic Main Street district, as businesses and patrons moved to the city’s outskirts. Community leaders attempted to revive downtown by transforming Main Street into the serpentine Parkade with informational kiosks, modern globe-shaped lighting, and distinctive landscape features. While this streetscape provided a fresh look, storefronts continued to go vacant in the mid-1980s, as the economic downturn precipitated by the farm crisis took its toll.

      The College Hill district also faced significant changes in the postwar era, as the student body at the Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) tripled from 1,233 in 1945 to 3,616 in 1960. Returning servicemen took advantage of the opportunities afforded by the GI Bill to earn a college degree. The college quickly constructed Quonset huts and metal barracks buildings in Sunset Village to accommodate married students and families, and the nearby College Hill neighborhood shifted from largely single-family residences to multiunit rental properties. Businesses on the Hill began to cater more specifically to students—with pizza parlors, bars, and music venues taking over grocery stores, barbershops, and pharmacies. While it seemed that the increased student population would be a boon to College Hill, students took more advantage of on-campus amenities, and neighborhood residents traveled to new shopping centers.

      The community of Cedar Falls continued to rally optimistically behind the College Hill and Main Street districts—and found creative ways to bring them back to life. The College Hill Merchant and Professional Association created a fine arts festival in 1979 to draw more people to the Hill, and the tradition continues today—with the College Hill Arts Festival bringing crowds from across the nation. This juried festival showcases work by artists in a wide variety of genres while attendees enjoy music by local bands.

      Citizens also invested substantial energy and resources into the Main Street district. They established Cedar Falls Community Main Street in 1987 to organize volunteers and help foster economic development. Committed philanthropists worked toward the restoration of the Regent Theatre at the gateway to the historic district, and this early success helped Main Street turn the corner. When the restored structure reopened its doors as the

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